Thursday, November 10, 2016

In Europe’s Top 5 leagues, there are 13 stadiums that have opened over the last 10 years, including Juventus’ Juventus Stadium and Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium.

Four of the new stadiums are in France (a lot thanks to Euro 2016), four in Germany, two in England, two in Spain and one in Italy.

Emirates Stadium, Arsenal

The Emirates Stadium replaced Highbury as the home ground of Arsenal, opening on July 2006. It has a capacity of 60,432. The first player to score a league goal at the stadium was Olof Mellberg, an Aston Villa player. Gilberto Silva was the first Arsenal player to find the net there.

WIRSOL Rhein-Neckar-Arena, Hoffenheim

The home of TSG 1899 Hoffenheim since January 24, 2009, it has a capacity of 30,150. That’s almost enough to hold the entire population of the town it’s in. Matches in the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup were played there.

WWK Arena, Augsburg

The WWK Arena opened on July 26, 2009, and has since been part of the hosting venues for the U-20 Women’s World and the Women’s World Cup, along with the 2010 DFL-Supercup. It has a capacity of 30,660 for league matches, and just over 28,000 for international matches.

RCDE Stadium, Espanyol

Also known as Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, it is the 8th stadium in the history of the smaller Barcelona club, replacing Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The RCDE stadium opened on August 2, 2009 under the Cornellà-El Prat, followed by Power8 Stadium in 2014. It can seat 40,500, and it’s a 4-star UEFA venue.

Audi Sportpark, Ingolstadt

The smallest stadium on the list, the Audi Sportpark, home of FC Ingolstadt 04, has a capacity of 15,800.

Opel Arena, Mainz

They love their cars in Germany, and car manufacturers love sponsoring stadiums. The Opel Arena opened on July 3, 2011 and has a capacity of 34,034. It was previously named Coface Arena.

London Stadium/Olympic Stadium, West Ham

The London Olympic Stadium opened in 2011 and was used during the 2012 Olympics, but it became West Ham’s home ground, replacing Upton Park, at the beginning of this season. It has a capacity of 60,000 for football matches. One of the main criticisms of the stadium is that is design isn’t appropriate for football matches, with fans seated too far away from the pitch.

Juventus Stadium, Juventus

Opened September 8, 2011, the new permanent home for Juve after leaving the Delle Alpi (the new stadium is built on the Delle Alpi’s site) and moving to the Olympic stadium goes hand in hand with its newly found dominance in the Serie A. Since it opened, Juventus have won every league title (five in a row). It’s one of only three club-owned football stadiums in Serie A, alongside Sassuolo’s Mapei Stadium and Udinese’s Stadio Friuli. It has a capacity of 41,507.

Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille

Home of Lille OSC since August 17, 2012, it was initially named Grand Stade Lille Métropole, and was renamed Stade Pierre Mauroy on 21 June 2013, just after the death of the former Mayor of Lille and former French Prime Minister. It has a capacity of 50,186, and was one of the stadiums used in Euro 2016.

Allianz Arena, Nice

OGC Nice have been playing at the Allianz Arena since September 2013. The project for a new Nice stadium was due to be completed in 2007, but fear of future costs shelved the project, until it was revived thanks to France winning the big to host Euro 2016. It has a capacity of 35,624, and due to sponsorship regulations, the stadium is known as the Stade de Nice in UEFA competition.

San Mames Stadium, Athletic Bilbao

The new San Mames opened on September 16, 2013, next to the previous San Mames stadium, which survived for 100 years. It has a capacity of 53,289, and will be one of the 13 stadiums across Europe that will host at least one match in Euro 2020.

Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux/Mamut Atlantique, Bordeaux

Currently known as the Mamut Atlantique for sponsorship purposes, the new Bordeaux stadium opened in May 18, 2015, and got to host five matches during Euro 2016. The first match played there was the final one of the 2014-2015 Ligue 1 season, with Bordeaux facing Montpellier. It has a capacity of 42,115.

Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon

Home of Olympique Lyonnais, it was used as one of the venues in Euro 2016, hosting six matches including the semi final between Portugal and Wales. It has a capacity of 59,186, and it opened on January 9, 2016. Lyon beat Troyes in their debut match on the pitch, with Alexandre Lacazette scoring the stadium’s first goal.